cell phone

Hi, Can someone tell me the best place to buy a chip for my cell phone near the airport? Two years ago I went to the offical cell phone store at the mall in Alajuela and it took over an hour. It was a long wait, and they wanted all kinds of information including my passport number. In Nicaragua, I just went a corner store, paid in cash and was out in minutes. Any information would be much appreciated.
thanks.

Samara or Carrillo?

We (family of 4, youngest 19 yrs) are traveling to Nicoya Peninsula in May. We are considering places that sound great--rustic enough, but simple and quiet--in both Samara and Carrillo. Samara: El Pequeno Gecko Verde. Carrillo: La Tropicale. Carrillo is less expensive, and maybe a nicer, less touristy small village? But Samara sounds great too.

The younger set would like to have relatively easy beach access, but biking to the beach is okay. We are planning on taking the bus from Liberia so probably won't have a car.

Thanks for your advice! I need to make a reservation soon!

El Sabor de Ojochal

Greetings

I'm posting this for a second time because i'm not sure if my first post is being moderated or was deleted.
El Sabor de Ojochal kicks off this Friday with 12 restaurants participating with fixed menus.

https://www.facebook.com/ElSabordeOjochal

Bon appetit

Visited Corcovado in February- available for questions

Hi all,

My boyfriend and I went to Corcovado a few months ago. With such little up-to-date information on visiting the park, we had so many questions before going. I meant to write a trip report about the experience to help future visitors, but realized it might be more effective to make myself available for specific questions.

We spent 2 days in the park. We hiked it alone (although, disclosure, we have lots of experience hiking, and he is comfortable on the trail without a guide).

Day/night before: Flew San Jose to Puerto Jimenez in the morning. Picked up our park passes. Bus to La Palma. Taxi to La Tarde (amazing little lodge; definitely recommend).

Day 1: La Tarde dropped us off at a spot where the main collectivo coming from Puerto Jimenez picked us up. Hiked Los Patos to La Sirena. Camped the night in La Sirena.

Day 2: Hiked La Sirena to La Leona t... more »

Travelling from Nosara around the Nicoya Peninsula

Hi,

I am travelling to Costa Rica, more specifically Nosara, at the end of the month for 2 weeks. I am renting a buddies place there and using it as a home base and was wondering what is the best way to get around the area. I was originally planning on renting a car (4X4) and just touring myself around, but have heard the roads and other drives can be a dangerous option (especially if youdont happen to have a car accident). I was hoping to make it down south to Motezuma and Santa Terresa as well as to Tamarindo for a bit. I know there is limited to no public transportation south and that some of the roads may close due to river crossings.

What if any suggestions/ insight do you have for getting around the area (car rental, public transport, hitchhiking etc).

Also while i am at it is there any places that people fell in love with and would highly recommend seeing or s... more »

Solo First time to Costa Rica --HELP

I am a single female over 40 looking to visit Costa Rica in the next few weeks. I have read so much that my head is spinning!! I have traveled alone before but stayed in tourist traps and payed dearly for it with my hard earned $. I'm actually looking to quit my career and relocate. I thought visiting should be my first step toward this lofty goal. So I think I have decided to start with Costa Rica. I like relaxing on a beach. And a good cocktail. Food is high on my list. But I have never been hiking and would love to try this and I'm a real animal lover so would love to appreciate the wild life. Never zip lined. Sounds fun. I just want to have a wonderful experience. I can stay as long as 4 weeks but aiming for 2 only. I don't like pressure so I thought tours would be to much and more like a job. I want to relax but not completely veg out and miss the beauty. I need help with a 14 da... more »

footwear

Hola, Given it was -5F this morning and still 2 feet of snow in the backyard, with light til 10pm, I am having a hard time deciding on footwear. We are traveling from Alaska for our first "real" out of country travel at the end of May-beginning of June. I have read your forum for a couple years and really appreciate all the info, which has been great. We want to keep our luggage weight/bulk as low as possible, hence the problem. We have seen pros/cons to wearing H2O sandals/hiking boots/mud boots for hiking. I think we will be on civilized trails but am not really sure what that is like. We will be overnite river rafting on the Pacure (with exploradoras), exploring La Fortuna and hiking, and (yes) Monteverde and hiking the different areas. Then the beach at Samara, and Spanish. We don't like the idea of squishing thru the mud in sandals, but would the areas be very muddy? Thinking lon... more »

Please help me find my beloved snack :)

This a touch on the trivial side, but if anyone can let me know the name of the snack I dearly love from Costa Rica, I would be very grateful!

I was living near Tortuguero in 2009 and in the local village I used to buy packages of nuts that were in a red foil package (I think). The nuts were covered in a sweet shell of some kind of sugar.

I've googled to see if I can find out what they are but unfortunately my description is a bit vague. Just wondering if anybody knows what I'm talking about! I'd love to get my hands on some. I haven't found any like them in any other countries.

Thanks :)